1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to leveling systems for recreational vehicles and more particularly, to an automatic fifth wheel disconnect, leveling and recoupling or loading system which is designed to automatically disconnect a trailer from a towing vehicle such as a pickup truck and level the trailer, as well as prepare the trailer for reconnection to the towing vehicle. In a preferred embodiment the automatic fifth wheel loading and unloading system is fitted with infrared circuits designed to facilitate proper clearance between the trailer coupling mechanism and the fifth wheel receiving mechanism on the towing vehicle and properly level the trailer after the trailer is uncoupled from the towing vehicle. The automatic fifth wheel loading and unloading system is operated by means of a "pigtail" control box or a control system located in the cab of the towing vehicle, which control box may be connected to the control circuitry in the system, either in the cab of the truck for use during inclement weather or in a control compartment located in the trailer. In a first preferred embodiment the control box is fitted with two toggle switches and six push buttons, which facilitate uncoupling the trailer from a fifth wheel coupling mechanism, typically provided in the bed of a pickup truck, leveling the trailer and recoupling the trailer in due course. The uncoupling process includes initially raising the trailer to a sufficient infrared beam-monitored height to provide a desired clearance between the coupling mechanism and the fifth wheel, unlocking the fifth wheel locking mechanism, operating the fifth wheel release mechanism to release the trailer coupler and leveling the trailer after the pickup truck has been removed from beneath the coupling mechanism of the trailer. The memory circuit also functions to again raise the coupling mechanism of the trailer to the uncoupling level for the purpose of recoupling the trailer coupling mechanism to the fifth wheel and recoupling of the coupling mechanism to the fifth wheel.
A first infrared circuit is provided on the fifth wheel mechanism to insure proper clearance between the trailer coupling mechanism and the fifth wheel during the uncoupling procedure. A second infrared circuit is provided in cooperation with a pair of pendulums pivotally mounted on a pendulum rod located in the trailer to facilitate accurate automatic leveling of the trailer by operation of the control box. A green light provided on the fifth wheel hitch mechanism indicates that the power on the automatic elements of the system are deactivated and the trailer and towing vehicle are ready for travel. A red light indicates that the hitch is not locked and the system is therefore not secure.
In a second preferred embodiment of the invention a system of air bags and infrared circuits is provided for side-to-side leveling of the trailer and front-to-rear leveling is accomplished by means of extensible front and rear legs, all operated by a micro-controller. The hitch mechanism is essentially the same as described above with respect to the first embodiment of the invention and is also operated by the micro-controller.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One of the problems realized in coupling and uncoupling gooseneck-type trailers from fifth wheel hitch mechanisms typically located in the bed of a pickup truck, is that of use of a manual, spring-loaded switch which drives the legs of the trailer up or down and is controlled by the operator while viewing the trailer coupling mechanism in relationship to the position of the fifth wheel hitch mechanism. Accordingly, the operator must position himself to view the clearance between the fifth wheel hitch mechanism and the trailer coupling mechanism in order to control the raising and lowering motor located in the trailer. In a second step, while viewing the respective positions of the level indicators on the trailer, the trailer must be manually raised or lowered to the level position by operating the same switch motor. Accordingly, the leveling procedure becomes quite tedious under circumstances where the trailer is located on uneven ground and the same procedure must be repeated under circumstances where the trailer is to be recoupled to the truck or towing vehicle. The entire process, including both the coupling and uncoupling procedure, involves much trial and error, with the expenditure of considerable time and great care must be taken not to damage the extending and retracting legs located on the trailer by excessively extending or retracting them.
It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved automatic fifth wheel loading and unloading system which is capable of automatically disconnecting the trailer coupling mechanism of a gooseneck-type travel trailer from the fifth wheel hitch mechanism located in a towing vehicle such as a pickup truck.
Another object of the invention is to provide a fifth wheel connect-disconnect mechanism which is capable of automatically disconnecting the gooseneck coupling element from a fifth wheel hitch mechanism by monitoring the disconnect clearance using an infrared circuit and thereby insuring proper clearance between the coupling mechanism and the hitch mechanism at all times during the connect-disconnect procedures.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved automatic fifth wheel loading and unloading system for disconnecting the gooseneck-type coupling mechanism from a fifth wheel hitch located in the bed of a pickup truck using a first infrared sensing system, automatically leveling the trailer after the disconnect procedure using an infrared positioning system, automatically positioning the trailer for reconnecting to the towing vehicle in due course and automatically lowering the trailer to again engage the gooseneck-type connecting mechanism with the fifth wheel trailer hitch.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved mechanism for disconnecting a trailer from a hitch mechanism in a pickup truck or alternative towing vehicle using a master micro-controller and an infrared beam-monitoring system. The clearance between the trailer connecting mechanism and the hitch mechanism is monitored and the trailer automatically leveled from side-to-side by means of a pair of pendulums in a leveling switch and an infrared circuit provided in cooperation with the pendulums. The trailer coupling mechanism is raised to clear the pickup truck and the trailer leveled from front-to-rear, after which the trailer is again raised to a recoupling height using a memory circuit and automatically recoupled to the towing vehicle.
Another object of this invention is to provide an automatic fifth wheel system for unloading, leveling and reloading a gooseneck-type trailer on a fifth wheel hitch located in the bed of a pickup truck, which device includes an infrared sensing device for monitoring the clearance between the trailer coupling mechanism and the hitch mechanism, infrared positioning devices provided in cooperation with air bags and leveling pendulums located in the trailer for automatically leveling the trailer from side-to-side and front-to-rear before the trailer is uncoupled from the truck.